Bird Meeting

Well, the majority of the holiday celebrations are over around here. I hope you all had a very lovely time with family and friends, or by yourself. However you like it! I feel a huge weight off of my shoulders. I'm not very good with social situations and even worse with people I'm not all that familiar with.

So I'd say that today is back to normal, but it's not. In a way it's kind of better than normal. No holiday stuff going on, yet also no school, no teaching, no classes. Kind of a nice time to be, get things done, spend time with the kids!

Today I decided to get a bunch of errands done and I mapped out an errand route, as I usually do. First up was to get to the gym (YMCA) for a much needed workout. Not to mention it is good for Miles to practice being away from mom during his recurrance of seperation anxiety. He cried at first but did much better after just a short time. It was good to exercise for me.

Next was to go to the closer location of my doctor (she has 2 locations) which is not open to take patients now, but the office was open, to take my insurance card in to be scanned as I forgot it at my appointment last week. Right next to that building is an outlet mall where I went to return a few gifts. Sadly, some gifts were purchased last year, so could not be returned. With the money I purchased some MUCH needed long sleeve shirts for Miles at 50-60% off. Further down the road I went to an "upscale" resale shop to bring a few of our items for them to go over to determine if they will sell on consignment. And in the same strip mall is the credit union for the company I used to work for. I still have an account there in just my name and I'm putting my dance paycheck in that account in case of an emergency, or to pay for part of a vacation or something. All this time I was going East, so now I head South to a lighting store to look for a light for our powder room. They always have a bathroom light fixture there I like, so to my amazement, I found NOTHING I like there. Then home for a late lunch and nap time for kids. Next I will put some things away (shirt boxes, bags etc) in our basement storage area and do a finaly clean up down there. I've been on a purging and organizing spree in the kids rooms and hope to continue this through the house. So far I have 3 garbage bags full of stuff to put out for Amvets.

While you may be wondering why you wasted your time reading all of the above paragraph, here comes the funny cute part. The weather around here has warmed up considerably. From freezing to about 42 degrees. The sun was shining and the birds were out flying around. The kids (who notice everything) noticed several packs of birds flying around together in unison. You know how they fly. All independent birds flying in a way that makes it seem like several make up one larger organism. Well they were flying pretty close to the ground and swirling around in groups. My daughter noted the flying birds and commented "All those birds are going to a meeting". I chuckled and then my son said "Yea, a bird meeting". Which, if you could hear him say, with his little "can't pronounce r's yet" accent, would crack you up. So that was one of the highlights of the day.

Another highlight was coming home to the mail carrier leaving a cute Christmasy looking box on my front stoop. It was a cute little package of fun goodies and love from a fellow blogger. Someone I've never met in real life yet. She knows who she is. :-) THAT just made my week. How sweet!

I have talked more with my friend with the marital troubles. I am planning to meet her this week before she flies home. I hope I can help her in any way possible. It is so hard for me in some ways because I hate that she is being treated so badly and what is going on is just ridiculous, but I don't know the full situation. And if there is ANYWAY it can be made better resulting in them staying together. Well that is what I wish for her. I pray for her and her husband and kids every night.

Speaking of which, I need to call her to set up a date and then clean up the aforementioned stuff so I can do some SEWING!! I miss you sewing!

Fabric Sale

Just wanted to let all you fabric lovers and stitchers know that www.fabric.com is having an after Christmas sale from now until Dec. 29. 20% off your entire order. Free shipping for orders over $35. They have lots of good quality fabrics and some are already on clearance. Take a look! I love this one.

Alexander Henry - Starling Natural

Going Out when we should be Snowed In

Today we braved (I felt light headed and nauseous from worry the entire drive) the snow and drove to the Chicago Botanic Garden to see the Wonderland Express.

A designer and crew was hired to build an elaborate backdrop for model trains to run through. The first room contained four beautiful Christmas trees and two towns made from candy and gingerbread which Holiday themed trains ran through.

The next, large atrium was just spectacular. I'm not sure why we didn't take more pictures. But the backdrops were all Chicago landmark buildings and structures made from all natural materials, wood, nut shells, dried leaves, etc... Many live plants were added to fill in the landscaping. The most amazing was all of the skyscrapers near Michigan Avenue and Navy Pier. Through all of these landscapes, miniature trains ran. Oh, and I must not forget... the best part of all. There were snow machines in the atrium. So it would snow on the whole scene, and you, every once in a while.

In the last hallway, yet another naturally landscaped and built train scene was set up with landmarks from near northern suburbs.

There was also a room showing a looping film of the making of the exhibit, including a snipet from a PBS show narated by Jason's former improv teacher, Geoffrey Baer. The library had a cute exhibit of figures from childrens books, which were made of felt. And yet another area had a little cafe, gift shop and area for kid's activities. The kids (and maybe us) made "tree jewelry" for the birds to eat outside as well as paper snowflakes. The third generation of kids at the holiday party we are going to on Christmas may or may not be getting all train themed gifts. Hee hee.

It was a scary drive (for me), and Jason drove not me, but ended up being a good family event.

A Different "Twist" on Fudge

The holidays is a time when lots of people make fudge. But if you are tired of the same old chocolate fudge, why not try something different?

Cookies N Cream Fudge

You will need:

16 chocolate cream-filled sandwich cookies, broken into chunks, divided

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons butter

2-2/3 cups vanilla chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do:

Coat an 8-in. square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place half of the broken cookies in pan. In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, butter and chips; cook and stire over low heat until chips are melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour over cookies in pan. Sprinkly remaining broken cookies over top. Let set until cooled.

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I think these are a bit sweet, but my husband loves them and if you love cookies n' cream, why not try them out for yourself?

Snow: Pain and Joy

Around here we have been bracing ourselves for a dumping of snow and ice. We waited, it didn't come, we waited some more, it didn't come and finally it came (this is a matter of waiting within a time span of 24 hours, so we didn't have to wait long). Today we are snowed in. School is canceled. I imagine many people didn't go into work.

It was hard for the kids because today was supposed to be their Holiday Party. Ella cried that she wanted to go. I think it finally sunk in that if she went, no one else would be there.

The pain for me had nothing to do with the snow. An old friend sent a note. She is having some terrible difficulties in her marriage. Just unthinkable to me. How did I not know? It's been going on for over a year she says. I am so sad. There are kids involved. They live in a different state than I. There is not much I can do but listen and care. I can't imagine. And yet I can...

Today I don't have to worry about taking the kids anywhere or to quench that urge to finish Christmas shopping. I have already gotten a bunch of laundry folded and cleaned the family room. Still more to do, but it is nice to kinda be snowed in for us. Jason stayed home too, but is working. Good to not have to worry about him being out in this.

While putting away the gifts I received from my dance students, I found a note inside a small gift card from the mom of a little girl I teach who has trouble feeling comfortable away from mom. I've worked with her and befriended her and she finally started coming around. More quickly lately than at the first classes. Here are the contents of the note. They really made me feel good about what I'm doing.

Thank you for all that you do for the girls! [Our daughter] adores you -
even though she cries at the beginning of each class! :-) She always
comes home and shows us what she did in class and then does it all
week! We appreciate your patience and kindness and are so glad you are
her teacher this year.

Love, [family name]

More Handmade Gifts

OK, photo uploading problem solved.

Here is another one of the cute door hanger pillows that was made from a FREE pattern at YouCanMakeThis.com. I had forgotten that Ella's teacher has an aide, so I made this one for her.

Different colors than the first batch I made for the teachers at the preschool. My mom used her embroidering machine for the main panels.

Next up are the gifts I made for Miles:

A Bag for His Dance Shoes (if he ever actually dances in class again after this strange bout of separation anxiety). Made from an Amy Butler pattern from a kit I got from Crystal in one of her giveaways! Hi Crystal, see I did use it!

Soccer Pajamas, made from a comercial pattern.

A Chef's Hat, made from a FREE pattern at YouCanMakeThis.com. It was so easy and is so cute. If you like to sew and are a beginner or higher, you should try this one!

I think I am done sewing for holiday gifts. Now I am just planning to work on things for my big project and my new medium project, which is re-sewing and re-hanging some drapes.

A Bit Stressed

When people find out all that I am involved and and that I have two pre-schoolers they say things like "How do you do it all?" or "Wow, you are busy". And the truth is, I don't do it all. The laundry is rarely all folded until the end of the week (after I've started washing at the begining). I don't fix elaborate meals and frankly am terrible at planning meals. But I like being busy with those other things. They keep me from getting blue. They keep me going. But now. This is the time all of my activities combined with other things I choose to do this time of year combined with things I need to do this time of year because of my chosen activities, combined with Christmas shopping, planning, baking etc... It's too much. But I am trying really hard to juggle it all and hopefully things will settle down again soon.

My smaller project is going along swimmingly, I am pleased to say! My big project is going well. One aspect of it is almost complete. I think! Other aspects are slowly coming together. It is both exciting and nerve wracking. And once Jason can figure out what is wrong with the camera uploader thingy, I can post some pics I finally took of some Christmas presents I made for Miles a long time ago (it seems).

Party Time

I have been so lax with posting lately because I've been so busy. Now I have some interesting photos, so I will let them do most of the talking.

Ella had her 5th (really, already she's 5?!) birthday on Saturday. Friday night we had a kids party for her. It was in the evening for a couple of hours. A pajama party with pizza, cupcake decorating, games and present opening. Just a note of caution to anyone who may be interested: 13 3-4 yr olds is a LOT of kids and 2 hours harder to fill than you might think. At least when the guests are all kids.

My small project is at a bit of a halt, but I hope to pick it up soon. Again, it is mostly organizing. My big project is ongoing. Right now I am working back and forth with a graphic designer via the internet. There is a little clue for those who don't know what my big project is.

This week is Christmas parties for the kids. Getting teachers gifts finished and wraps, grab bag gifts wrapped for preschool. Adopt-a-family gifts and food delivered to the family we "adopted". Haircuts for Ella and I. Last minute gift shopping for family. I'm sure I'm forgetting something else!

Better get another load of laundry going before I have to go teach a dance class. Didn't get much laundry done because of hosting a family party for Ella all day Saturday and being completely worn out plus having to do some shopping on Sunday.

Can't wait to have more time to work on my big project soon!

Hey Crafty Sewey People!

Do you like FREE patterns and tutorials? Do you like new ideas for crafting and sewing? Of course you do! Well I am a new affiliate of YouCanDoThis.com. See that button on the right side of my blog? Do yourself a favor and click on it to see it for yourself. And now you can get a whole bundle of free ebooks and video, a $75 value. Just for signing up for their newsletter. And believe me you WANT this newsletter! It comes only every once in a while and is full of great ideas. Many are free, some are available for purchase. This is a great site and I really do suggest signing up for their site. But please click on the button on my blog so that they know I'm supporting them. Then you too can put a button on your blog if you want to apply to be an affliate too.

While I'm here "selling" things (for other people), take a look at Everyday Beautiful as well. She is Jody and you can reach her blog by clicking on the button on the right hand side of my blog. She has beautiful creations from her customers on her site as well as Etsy features. She also has a great list of free tutorials! Yay. She has a great Etsy fabric shop (of which I am a frequent and loyal customer) as well as a shop selling burp cloths. You can find it all on her website. Right now she has a tutorial up for cute tree ornament.

Happy crafting!

Phew and get ready for more...

I haven't posted here in quite a while! Sorry for that. I still haven't photographed all the Christmas presents I've made. I haven't found the time or energy to lug them out of storage when/if the kids are in rest time. I did make one for someone else, but I don't know if she reads this, so I'll save that one for after Christmas.

Overall I'm done with most of my main projects, minus some booties for a friend. And that doesn't take too long. I also am done with two craft shows. The first was a fund raiser and I wasn't even manning the table. The second was at my neighbor Liz's house. Liz runs the website Wickedly Chic. It is a must read for the fashion concious and supporters of small, indie, mostly female run businesses. Must go there NOW! :-)

So this week, up on the agenda is to prepare for Ella's birthday party on Friday as well as making some rice krispie treats for her class for tomorrow. Then, well, Christmas. I still haven't had a chance to get the remainder of my shopping done.

I have two other "projects" going on. One is a fun thing for a friend which will require some corresponding and organizing. The other is, well, it is huge! I will talk more about it hopefully soon. Right now I'm in planning, preparing and researching stages...

It is snowing like crazy here. I had to go out this morning to teach a class, but I plan to stay in for the rest of the day. I still may need to shovel (ugh). It was freezing rain last night, cold rain ths morning, followed by heavy snow. I am trying to focus on how pretty it is coming down... right, that's it. Today may be a fireplace day.

Happy holiday preparations to everyone! May you have time to reflect on what this season really means to you!

Cutie Booties

My plan to photograph all of my recent creations has gone by the wayside. With a hubby on a business trip, today, a normally hectic day, was just plain crazy. Add to that the fact that the kids didn't go to school because they were having a field trip that was just to expensive and it snowed.

Hubby left early in the morning. By the time I got up, the driveway needed shoveling. And shoveling I did. I don't remember our driveway (and sidewalks) being that big before! Next up, my parents weren't able to make it to my house because of the weather, so I had to bring the kids with me to the morning dance class I teach. They were good, so that wasn't too big of a deal. I had dressed Miles for his class (12:15 pm), but not Ella (2 pm class) because we had to rush out the door after the driveway scooping and my very necessary shower. So after my class, we went over to McDonalds for lunch, back to the Park District for Miles' class. And what happens? He cries. He doesn't want to dance. This has been a very odd problem for the last few days, a sudden recurrence of seperations anxiety. So the teacher HELD him for most of the class. I tried to go in to rescue her, but she was fine and told me to go. Next we rush home for Ella to change into her dance clothes, rush back (mind you all the snow gear that needs to come off and on) and drop her off for class. Pick her up afterwards, come home for a couple of hours, then my friend Hannah comes by to pick up the kids to take to her house to watch them. So what happens? Miles is all excited to go and play with her son, but when she pulls up and he realizes that I'm not going with them, he cries. Luckily she said he stopped before they got out of our subdivision and was quite happy the rest of the time. I went to class, taught, then headed out to pick them up. I've got them in bed now and realized I have to get up early to take the kitten to the vet for an appointment and then over to teach another class. Then the rest of the day... I hope we can stay home and I can work on things here!!

So anyway, the only think I have a photo of is a pair of baby booties I made for my friend Julie's daughter that I included in a box that had a meal I made for her family in it. Aren't they adorable? I love that blue floral fabric so much. I had to go back and buy more. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. But rarely do I find this type of pattern (small floral pastel) than I love so much. I don't exactly hate the pink bunnies either. I got the little white bunny buttons at Joann's, they were 50% off.

If you want to make these booties, you can find a tutorial here.